Sometimes enough is just enough and I really need a little quiet time. I am blessed to have a wonderfully rowdy boy who loves to talk and make noises all the time. Most days I am completely fine with this and know that he's just learning and playing. Then there are other days like today when I honestly feel like I just can not listen to any more noise. My head starts hurting and I desperately just wish Gatty would be quiet for a little while.
Well today was one of those such days for me. Gatty was being loud all morning, just as he has been the last few days, but this time I just couldn't take it any more. I don't know if it was stress or maybe just from lack of sleep but either way I felt myself getting angry because he would not be quiet and settle down. I tried ignoring him, distracting him, even getting after him about being quiet but he just continued. I mean what should I expect from a two year old.
Finally I was just getting so frustrated and my headache was getting worse that I knew I had to do something. So I decided to shut off the tv. Gatty loves his movies so I just shut off the tv and told him no more since he wouldn't be quiet. At one point when I was changing Draiman's diaper Gatty came to me and tried to get me to put a movie on but I just calmly told him no. Well what do you know... it seemed to work. Shortly after he started playing with his school buses and trucks quietly. He didn't barely make a sound for a little while. Then as I was sitting in the chair nursing Draiman (he was already asleep), Gatlin climbed up in the chair with me and within five minutes he was asleep as well. Finally Mommy got her quiet time.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Comfy Chair
When I was pregnant with Gatlin I started having a really hard time sleeping comfortably in bed at night. I wanted to lay down and sleep but it was just so completely uncomfortable for me that I barely got any sleep at all during the night. So after several conversations about it my husband and I decided to go buy a recliner. We looked at recliners at almost every store in town before we finally settled on one at Ashley Furniture.
The recliner there was perfect. I was a neutral beige color and very comfortable. Plus the biggest draw was that it was the most affordable price. It was a very nice leather recliner but it had a large discoloration on the right arm rest so they had it in their clearance room. An unbeatable price and it looked great, despite that one spot. I knew this chair was going to be my best friend through the end of my pregnancy.
I was right of course. That chair was about the only way I got any sleep for the remainder of my pregnancy with Gatty. What I didn't anticipate was how much that chair would still mean to me after all this time. Not only was it great to sleep in when the bed was unbearable, but it was also excellent to sit in while I nursed Gatty. So just with Gatlin alone it had been of great use but now Draiman I get even more use. Just as before it's a great spot to sit while nursing Draiman but the nice thing about it is that with it's overstuffed arms there is still plenty of room for Gatty to sit with us.
That's right, a lot of times I am sitting in that same chair with both of my munchkins. It's been a great way for me to be able to nurse the new baby and still keep Gatlin close with me as well. Gatty and I have always been so close and I was really concerned that once Draiman came along I would have big issues with jealousy, but surprisingly it hasn't been bad at all. I honestly think it has helped a lot having the recliner. It's been nice to be able to nurse Draiman and still have Gatty comfortably and safely by my side. I really think it's helped the three of us bond together even more. I would've have never guessed that a recliner would provide such closeness for me and my boys.
The recliner there was perfect. I was a neutral beige color and very comfortable. Plus the biggest draw was that it was the most affordable price. It was a very nice leather recliner but it had a large discoloration on the right arm rest so they had it in their clearance room. An unbeatable price and it looked great, despite that one spot. I knew this chair was going to be my best friend through the end of my pregnancy.
I was right of course. That chair was about the only way I got any sleep for the remainder of my pregnancy with Gatty. What I didn't anticipate was how much that chair would still mean to me after all this time. Not only was it great to sleep in when the bed was unbearable, but it was also excellent to sit in while I nursed Gatty. So just with Gatlin alone it had been of great use but now Draiman I get even more use. Just as before it's a great spot to sit while nursing Draiman but the nice thing about it is that with it's overstuffed arms there is still plenty of room for Gatty to sit with us.
That's right, a lot of times I am sitting in that same chair with both of my munchkins. It's been a great way for me to be able to nurse the new baby and still keep Gatlin close with me as well. Gatty and I have always been so close and I was really concerned that once Draiman came along I would have big issues with jealousy, but surprisingly it hasn't been bad at all. I honestly think it has helped a lot having the recliner. It's been nice to be able to nurse Draiman and still have Gatty comfortably and safely by my side. I really think it's helped the three of us bond together even more. I would've have never guessed that a recliner would provide such closeness for me and my boys.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Photo Alert!
I love my babies and they love me, but I swear they love to sabotage my photo editing time. It never seems to fail that as soon as I begin working on my photos somebody is crying, or hungry, or needs changed. It call be all quite with them asleep even, then as soon as I settle down to that computer everyone is awake and fussy. I mean I do get in some time for photo editing but let me just say that they sure make me work for it!
Better late then never
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Thank goodness for Pink
This week has been a rough one for poor little Draiman. He's been quite fussy in general because he seems to be teething, but things were a little worse for him when he started having diaper rash issues. I'm not sure what I ate that upset him (the trouble with nursing) but poor little man constant poopy diapers for a few days and let me just say it really did a number on his bottom.
Both of my boys seem to have very sensitive skin and a few excessively poopy diapers can really do some damage to them. We used to have big problems with Gatty (before Draiman was born) and I felt so bad because no amount of Desitin seemed to help him. Desitin had always been the saving grace for the other kids in the past but it just didn't seem to cut it for Gatty. Luckily for us when discussing the situation with my Aunt Dona she told us about "the pink stuff." She couldn't exactly remember the name of it but she knew if was pink and it worked great.
At one of Gatty's doctor visits I told the doctor about the diaper rash issue and asked him if he had any suggestions. He hesitated as he thought about for a minute and then I mentioned "the pink stuff" and he instantly knew what I was talking about. It's actually named Pinxav (pronounced Pink Salve) and the doctor said it should do the trick for us. He suggested we go to Walgreens and ask the pharmacist for it. He said it did not require a prescription but that it was usually kept back in pharmacy.
Needless to say we went out immediately and got the stuff and let me just say that's its awesome. That stuff has worked better for my boys than anything else has. I hate to think how bad poor Draiman's bottom would've been this week without it. I mean he still got red and irritated initially but keeping that stuff on him regularly really helped to keep his bottom protected. Plus the nice thing about it is that it has a cooling sensation that helps to relieve any pain. So if you babies get bottom issues like mine then I highly suggest you go out and buy some. Trust me it's worth it.
Both of my boys seem to have very sensitive skin and a few excessively poopy diapers can really do some damage to them. We used to have big problems with Gatty (before Draiman was born) and I felt so bad because no amount of Desitin seemed to help him. Desitin had always been the saving grace for the other kids in the past but it just didn't seem to cut it for Gatty. Luckily for us when discussing the situation with my Aunt Dona she told us about "the pink stuff." She couldn't exactly remember the name of it but she knew if was pink and it worked great.
At one of Gatty's doctor visits I told the doctor about the diaper rash issue and asked him if he had any suggestions. He hesitated as he thought about for a minute and then I mentioned "the pink stuff" and he instantly knew what I was talking about. It's actually named Pinxav (pronounced Pink Salve) and the doctor said it should do the trick for us. He suggested we go to Walgreens and ask the pharmacist for it. He said it did not require a prescription but that it was usually kept back in pharmacy.
Needless to say we went out immediately and got the stuff and let me just say that's its awesome. That stuff has worked better for my boys than anything else has. I hate to think how bad poor Draiman's bottom would've been this week without it. I mean he still got red and irritated initially but keeping that stuff on him regularly really helped to keep his bottom protected. Plus the nice thing about it is that it has a cooling sensation that helps to relieve any pain. So if you babies get bottom issues like mine then I highly suggest you go out and buy some. Trust me it's worth it.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Valentines
The CoffeeShop Blog: How I don't do it all and can live with that.
I recently read this post on The CoffeeShop Blog and let me just say that I can relate entirely to this. It is virtually impossible to be all things at all times, but we can always strive to do the best we can and prioritize the importance of what we do get done. Sometimes it is hard for me because I have so many things that I want to do but my little ones truly take up the majority of my time. Then I remember that of all my accomplishments in this life my kids will be number one and they deserve as much time as I can give them. So as always my kids are my first priority, but like most moms I do some juggling to fit everything else in as well.
The CoffeeShop Blog: How I don't do it all and can live with that.: "We went to the pumpkin patch this weekend. There was a sea of pumpkins and happy children in cute little black and orange fall costum..."
The CoffeeShop Blog: How I don't do it all and can live with that.: "We went to the pumpkin patch this weekend. There was a sea of pumpkins and happy children in cute little black and orange fall costum..."
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Round 1: Gatty for the Win!
What is a mother to do? I swear I try so hard to do right by my boys and it never fails that something is amiss. Last night I found out the results of Gatlin's last blood test and it turns out that he is very anemic. The doctor said that it is possible that he's just very low on iron right now and that we may be able to get this under control but it also may be that Gatty has a blood disease which is going to cause him problems for the rest of his life with anemia. So some how I have to find a way to get my very picky eater to take in more iron so that we can see if we can fix this problem. Of course the doctor is also prescribing iron supplements for him as well.
It just so happened that I was actually at the grocery store last night when the doctor called me back so I was able to buy several different things to try to get him to eat a little better. Today was the first full day of putting things to the test and let me just say that this round went to Gatty. Out of everything that I tried to get him to eat I only succeeded with the Pediasure (that was a good win) and some spanish rice. Most everything else went to straight to the dogs. I should've know as this is always the case, but if I hadn't figured it out by now ... this is going to be a long battle.
It's hard enough to get him to try new things and eat as it is, but the bigger problem now is that there aren't a whole lot of things that are a good source of iron. Rather I should say there aren't many things that he will eat that are a good source of iron. The one thing that we have in the house that is the best source of iron and shouldn't be too bad to get him to eat is MultiGrain Cheerios. They actually have 100% DV of iron, but do you think he would eat them? NOPE!! Somehow I've got to trick him into eating them. For my first attempt I tried mixing them in with his yogurt (he LOVES yogurt) but that was a complete fail. He did eat the yogurt but he pulled every Cheerio out of his mouth and threw it on the floor! I hope I have better luck tomorrow.
It just so happened that I was actually at the grocery store last night when the doctor called me back so I was able to buy several different things to try to get him to eat a little better. Today was the first full day of putting things to the test and let me just say that this round went to Gatty. Out of everything that I tried to get him to eat I only succeeded with the Pediasure (that was a good win) and some spanish rice. Most everything else went to straight to the dogs. I should've know as this is always the case, but if I hadn't figured it out by now ... this is going to be a long battle.
It's hard enough to get him to try new things and eat as it is, but the bigger problem now is that there aren't a whole lot of things that are a good source of iron. Rather I should say there aren't many things that he will eat that are a good source of iron. The one thing that we have in the house that is the best source of iron and shouldn't be too bad to get him to eat is MultiGrain Cheerios. They actually have 100% DV of iron, but do you think he would eat them? NOPE!! Somehow I've got to trick him into eating them. For my first attempt I tried mixing them in with his yogurt (he LOVES yogurt) but that was a complete fail. He did eat the yogurt but he pulled every Cheerio out of his mouth and threw it on the floor! I hope I have better luck tomorrow.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Get rid of that Monkey!!
Right now Gatlin is big into Toy Story. He loves them all in fact. We can rotate through all three movies and he's happy, but his favorite right now it Toy Story 3. He just absolutely loves that movie. He got it for Christmas along with some Toy Story pajamas and I swear we've been watching that movie almost daily ever since.
Then for his birthday at the end of January Gatty got a Buzz Lightyear. So now he can wear his Toy Story 3 pajamas, watch the movie, and carry around Buzz all at the same time. Let me just say that this makes for one happy Gatlin. For the most part Mommy is usually pretty happy too. You see when Gatty is busy watching his movie he tends to be less interested in destroying Mommy's house. So generally when Gatty is happy watching his movie then Mommy is happy too ... but there is one issue.
What could possibly the problem? The monkey!! That's right, Mommy agrees with the telephone when he tells Woody that the monkey is the problem. Yes indeed... "Get rid of that monkey!!!" You see as soon as that monkey sounds the alarm and screams, so does my Gatty. Yep Gatty's a screamer just like the monkey. He will even scream at the daycare part of the movie where the other litte kids scream, but what really gets him going is that monkey.
Luckily for me Gatlin is mostly just mimicking his favorite movie. So he does scream at those certain parts of the movie but usually that's it. He screams at the daycare part and then every time the monkey screams but then it's usually over. I can be annoying but at the same time it's pretty funny also. Just as Gatty mimicks his monkey ... Mommy agrees with telephone. "Get rid of that monkey!!"
Then for his birthday at the end of January Gatty got a Buzz Lightyear. So now he can wear his Toy Story 3 pajamas, watch the movie, and carry around Buzz all at the same time. Let me just say that this makes for one happy Gatlin. For the most part Mommy is usually pretty happy too. You see when Gatty is busy watching his movie he tends to be less interested in destroying Mommy's house. So generally when Gatty is happy watching his movie then Mommy is happy too ... but there is one issue.
What could possibly the problem? The monkey!! That's right, Mommy agrees with the telephone when he tells Woody that the monkey is the problem. Yes indeed... "Get rid of that monkey!!!" You see as soon as that monkey sounds the alarm and screams, so does my Gatty. Yep Gatty's a screamer just like the monkey. He will even scream at the daycare part of the movie where the other litte kids scream, but what really gets him going is that monkey.
Luckily for me Gatlin is mostly just mimicking his favorite movie. So he does scream at those certain parts of the movie but usually that's it. He screams at the daycare part and then every time the monkey screams but then it's usually over. I can be annoying but at the same time it's pretty funny also. Just as Gatty mimicks his monkey ... Mommy agrees with telephone. "Get rid of that monkey!!"
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Perfume Wars
The other day while Gatlin was out with Daddy I decided to leave Draiman with his Tia Tori while I jumped in the shower real quick. (For those who don't know, Tia means Aunt in Spanish) She had already picked him up and was playing with him so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to get a quick shower. Everything was fine until the very end. As I turned off the water I could hear Draiman fussing.
Usually I prefer to put on some body lotion as soon as I get out of the shower but this time I figured I was probably going to have to skip it. I called out to Tia to see if Draiman was super fussy or if I had time to slather on some lotion really quick. Tori said he'd be fine and to go ahead and put on some lotion. Meanwhile she held him close to the door so that I could talk to him. As I continued talking to him through the door he seemed to calm down some just from hearing my voice. Once I finished I came out for the usual "Mommy to the rescue" and took Draiman from Tia so that he would settle down.
Well lets just say that things did not work out according to plan at all. Once I took him he seemed like he was going to calm down at first but then suddenly he started crying even worse then before. In fact he got so upset that he was nearly full on screaming at this point. So my next thought was that he was all worked up and probably hungry so I should go ahead and nurse him. I then sat down to nurse him and that just made it all that much worse. He just started screaming even worse at this point and when my little guy gets upset like this he is very difficult to get to calm down.
Once Daddy got home I had him take Draiman and I took Gatty who was also upset because he had just been to the hospital for blood work. There was a lot of crying at this point. Draiman seemed to calm down for Daddy but he still seemed to be hungry. Since he had calmed down I tried to take him back to nurse and once again he started screaming. This happened several times before I finally had to just put him in his bassinet and let him scream because nothing I did worked and Daddy had to leave for work.
Finally I told Tori to watch them while I headed up stairs to change. This whole time the only thing I could figure that was upsetting Draiman so much was my perfumed lotion. I usually put on JLO Live lotion and this time I had used JLO Glow so maybe just maybe this perfume was upsetting him. You know they say that babies have a super keen sense of smell (the lotion was strongly scented) and are able to smell their mother, well this time his mother must have smelled bad to him I guess. So I quickly aired out so to speak, changed my shirt, and washed my hands before picking him up again. Then just in case that wasn't the only thing bothering him I switched sides to try nursing him on. Well what do you know, it worked like a charm. Little guy finally started to nurse and then he calmed down and fell asleep. So for future reference I better go easy on the perfumed lotion or at least stick with the same scent.
Usually I prefer to put on some body lotion as soon as I get out of the shower but this time I figured I was probably going to have to skip it. I called out to Tia to see if Draiman was super fussy or if I had time to slather on some lotion really quick. Tori said he'd be fine and to go ahead and put on some lotion. Meanwhile she held him close to the door so that I could talk to him. As I continued talking to him through the door he seemed to calm down some just from hearing my voice. Once I finished I came out for the usual "Mommy to the rescue" and took Draiman from Tia so that he would settle down.
Well lets just say that things did not work out according to plan at all. Once I took him he seemed like he was going to calm down at first but then suddenly he started crying even worse then before. In fact he got so upset that he was nearly full on screaming at this point. So my next thought was that he was all worked up and probably hungry so I should go ahead and nurse him. I then sat down to nurse him and that just made it all that much worse. He just started screaming even worse at this point and when my little guy gets upset like this he is very difficult to get to calm down.
Once Daddy got home I had him take Draiman and I took Gatty who was also upset because he had just been to the hospital for blood work. There was a lot of crying at this point. Draiman seemed to calm down for Daddy but he still seemed to be hungry. Since he had calmed down I tried to take him back to nurse and once again he started screaming. This happened several times before I finally had to just put him in his bassinet and let him scream because nothing I did worked and Daddy had to leave for work.
Finally I told Tori to watch them while I headed up stairs to change. This whole time the only thing I could figure that was upsetting Draiman so much was my perfumed lotion. I usually put on JLO Live lotion and this time I had used JLO Glow so maybe just maybe this perfume was upsetting him. You know they say that babies have a super keen sense of smell (the lotion was strongly scented) and are able to smell their mother, well this time his mother must have smelled bad to him I guess. So I quickly aired out so to speak, changed my shirt, and washed my hands before picking him up again. Then just in case that wasn't the only thing bothering him I switched sides to try nursing him on. Well what do you know, it worked like a charm. Little guy finally started to nurse and then he calmed down and fell asleep. So for future reference I better go easy on the perfumed lotion or at least stick with the same scent.
Gone Bananas
So today I thought I'd be good and get some time in on the Wii Fit. In the beginning it was going quite well as both boys seems to be occuppied. Then just as I'm in the middle of advanced step Draiman starts fussing like crazy. No big deal. I just finish up with that and then pick him up and carry him while I do some more less intense aerobics. All is well .. or so I thought.
Once I finish I look towards the dining room and realize that for some reason the dogs (two Chihuahuas) seem to be staring over at something. I walk over to see what's going on and there's Gatlin repeatedly throwing a banana on the floor. Now the bananas were getting soft as it was but this poor banana was beyond squishy after being slammed on the floor so many times. The banana was even busting open at the side. Before I can finishing saying "Gatlin what are you doing?" he's off running away with the banana. I catch him over at the couch and manage to get the banana away from him when I suddenly wonder what he must have done with the rest of the bunch.
I head back to the kitchen and check the counter for the rest of the bananas. As expected the whole bunch is missing. I walk around looking on the floor in the dining room. Next I check the living room and then of course the hall and back to the kitchen. No bananas anywhere ... they're just gone. I know darn good and well that the dogs did not eat those bananas and of course Gatty is really only interested squishing fruit right now so they've got to be some where. Oh wait! Why didn't I think of it before ... they must be in the sink.
Low and behold that's exactly where the bananas are at. The whole bunch sitting in the sink along with some dirty dishes. Yep, I should've known it. The sink is the one place where almost everything ends up. On any given day you can find anything from Gatty's toys to papers, shoes, pants, you name it. I just love how it all ends up in the sink.
Once I finish I look towards the dining room and realize that for some reason the dogs (two Chihuahuas) seem to be staring over at something. I walk over to see what's going on and there's Gatlin repeatedly throwing a banana on the floor. Now the bananas were getting soft as it was but this poor banana was beyond squishy after being slammed on the floor so many times. The banana was even busting open at the side. Before I can finishing saying "Gatlin what are you doing?" he's off running away with the banana. I catch him over at the couch and manage to get the banana away from him when I suddenly wonder what he must have done with the rest of the bunch.
I head back to the kitchen and check the counter for the rest of the bananas. As expected the whole bunch is missing. I walk around looking on the floor in the dining room. Next I check the living room and then of course the hall and back to the kitchen. No bananas anywhere ... they're just gone. I know darn good and well that the dogs did not eat those bananas and of course Gatty is really only interested squishing fruit right now so they've got to be some where. Oh wait! Why didn't I think of it before ... they must be in the sink.
Low and behold that's exactly where the bananas are at. The whole bunch sitting in the sink along with some dirty dishes. Yep, I should've known it. The sink is the one place where almost everything ends up. On any given day you can find anything from Gatty's toys to papers, shoes, pants, you name it. I just love how it all ends up in the sink.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Battle of the pants
Everyday it's the same story. Change Gatlin's diaper, get him dressed, and then let the pants battle begin. Yep that's right ... we're going through the whole "it's fun to take my pants off" stage. No sooner do you put his pants on him then there he goes running the ring pantsless! Our home has a sort of "ring around" where you can go around in a circle from the living room to the dining room, then the kitchen and back to the living room. The "ring" is where lots of battles at our house take place ... especially the pants battle.
It is pretty much daily that Gatty slips his pants off super quick and then runs around the ring laughing as we chase him with his pants. It's almost like a classic episope of Tom and Jerry only instead of us chasing the mouse we're chasing the Gatlin. My favorite though is when he has shoes on already, those are the times we gain the advantage. At those times Gatty pulls his pants down but forgets to take his shoes off first. Let's just say it's quite comical when he runs (or rather waddles) around the ring still stuck in his pants. These moments he's easy to catch , that is if you can stop yourself from rolling on the floor laughing!
There are times that we do get annoyed with him taking off his pants repeatedly but kids will be kids. We do our best to stay lighthearted about things because after all they are only this young for so long. Might as well enjoy the "battles" now while they're still young enough to want to engage with you.
It is pretty much daily that Gatty slips his pants off super quick and then runs around the ring laughing as we chase him with his pants. It's almost like a classic episope of Tom and Jerry only instead of us chasing the mouse we're chasing the Gatlin. My favorite though is when he has shoes on already, those are the times we gain the advantage. At those times Gatty pulls his pants down but forgets to take his shoes off first. Let's just say it's quite comical when he runs (or rather waddles) around the ring still stuck in his pants. These moments he's easy to catch , that is if you can stop yourself from rolling on the floor laughing!
There are times that we do get annoyed with him taking off his pants repeatedly but kids will be kids. We do our best to stay lighthearted about things because after all they are only this young for so long. Might as well enjoy the "battles" now while they're still young enough to want to engage with you.
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